18 December 2010), families (Iraqis from Tychero – 2010), persons with severe chronic or mental diseases (A.D. from Iran, detainees from Fylakio – August 2011), and victims of police violence (E.A., Iraqi, who became a victim of serious ill-treatment in Soufli and later was deported from Turkey onward to Iraq). 4.2.2 Readmission of people in need of international protection During our missions, we came across readmission cases of people, who were in need of international protection and still had never been identified as such. Others had applied for asylum but, despite the intervention of lawyers, the »I did not want to stay in Greece for any second longer.« R.T. (35), from Iran ■ R.T.’s case is that of a registered asylum seeker readmitted to Turkey. He fled as a child with his family from Iran to Iraq where the family received UNHCR protection as political refugees. When dangers of political persecution increased also in Iraq, he had to flee to Turkey from where he continued to Greece. He was arrested on October 29, 2010, in the area of Tychero where he was also subsequently detained. He spent most of the detention period in cell Nr. 1, which was constantly overcrowded at the time. During our first meeting he knew neither his rights nor his obligations and he had not been informed that he was kept in detention in order to be deported back to Turkey: »I cannot return. I will die. I cannot return!«46 On November 19, GCR intervened with a letter to the authorities requesting to register his asylum claim.47 Finally, on November 25, the responsible authorities registered his asylum application. In December we met R.T. again in Tychero detention centre. He was desperate and full of fear. »Why haven’t they released me? I am getting crazy here. It is loud and full of people. No place to sleep. Nothing. This is not Europe. … Can I be sure not to be deported back now that I claimed asylum? I do not understand why I am here! I am a UN- 46 R.T. from Iran; November 19, 2010 – Tychero; sea also http://www.gcr.gr/node/533 47 Protocol number: GCR 497/2010. 48 R.T. from Iran; December 21, 2010 – Tychero 49 See: PR GCR of January 21, 2010: http://www.gcr.gr/node/533; PR PRO ASYL January 28, 2011: http://www.proasyl.de/de/ 4. Refoulement, readmissions and deportations authorities did not register their claims and sent them back to Turkey. A third category of deportees had requested asylum and later unknowingly withdrew their claim. In other cases even registered asylum seekers were expelled to Turkey. The following cases are characteristic. On Sunday, September 25, 2011, a group of 13 detainees from Fylakio detention centre was deported to Turkey. Most of them were Iranian nationals. Among them were at least three persons whom GCR lawyers had informed the authorities in Orestiada about. The fax sent stated that they wanted to apply for asylum.50 We have no further news about them. refugee.«48 A first appeal against his detention was rejected on January 7, 2011. On January 10, 2011, R.T. was sent back to Turkey without any information. »They called out my name and then they brought me to the border. They didn’t tell me why they took me and where they are bringing me. On the border I understood that I was about to be deported. I was shouting to the Greeks and later to the Turks that I am an asylum seeker.« He was detained in Edirne prison where, after one week of arrest, he had the chance to contact us in order to inform them about his deportation.49 »I could not get into contact with the UN. I told them also that I asked for asylum in Greece.« In January 2011, The Turkish authorities returned R.T. back to Greece and again detained in Tychero borderguard station. There he was informed that his son had died in Iraq. »I was devastated. I just wanted to go and attend the funeral of my child. The conditions in Tychero were like hell. I did not want to stay in Greece for any second longer. The police told me that they would release me and then send me to Iraq to see my boy. They told me to sign some papers. I had no other option, and I had no legal aid.« On January 26, 2011, R.T. seems to have withdrawn his asylum claim in Tychero. Following the alleged withdrawal, the police continued to keep him in detention pending deportation to Iran. T.R. was released only after an appeal before the court requesting his release. presse/detail/news/das_netz_der_fluechtlingsabwehr_wird_ dichter_eu_rueckuebernahmeabkommen_mit_der_tuerkei/ 50 Cases of H.S.N., A.H. and T.F. GCR fax ref. no. 79/2011 (August 8, 2011), 85/2011 (September 17, 2011) and 89/2011 (September 24, 2011)